Five Ways that Consoles are Taking Over the Market

Posted: 22 Jan 2014 05:57 AM PST

There was once a day when common opinion stated that computer gaming would kill the console market. Many stragglers and die-hard fans continue to laud the desktop as the highest platform in the industry. The PC gamers laud their hardware for its graphical prowess and upgradeability, but this is based on a console that has long since been replaced with something far superior than it once was. In the near future, consoles will outclass desktops far more than they do today and, with today’s developers increasingly focusing on the console market, avid gamers are often finding themselves feeling distinctly left out. The plug-and-play sector has already upgraded itself in more ways than one.

1) Easy Sells
Not all gamers are comfortable with setting up a LAN system, installing patches, and managing graphics card upgrades. Those who want a dash of ease to come with their gaming enjoy the simplicity of a device that needs to be plugged into a television and internet line. On-screen instructions guide you through every aspect of your set up, leaving those who don’t know what a CPU is no worse off than those who do.

2) Price
Building a powerful, intranet-capable PC can be an expensive endeavor, particularly when that desktop needs to be upgraded every time Bethesda becomes more ambitious with its RPGs. New releases demand annual hardware and software improvements, while console owners are left with a robust, durable entertainment system that is affordable enough to be replaced when necessary. When Steam Machines become available, the console and PC ecosystem will merge, giving gamers a custom operating system that resembles a PC, along with the simplicity of a console.

3) The Future

Next generation consoles such as Xbox 1 VS, available at consoledeals.co.uk have their own processors, which offer an entirely new architecture that offers the kind of speed that allows gamers to run their most demanding games. This not only makes room for more powerful console games, but is also the first step towards making consoles PC compatible. The X86 might turn games such as Thief into full-body-motion-control offerings that excel in terms of game immersion.

4) Multi-platform Gaming
It has taken too long for gamers of all platforms to connect their devices without the help of the internet. Old fashioned house lanning has lost some of its popularity as a result, and the single OS-exclusive deals some developers have needed to sign have limited the availability of games across the board. Exclusivity contracts such as that between Activision and Microsoft, have limited the playing field for gamers while at the same time diminishing the financial earnings required to develop truly ground-breaking games. It is the console industry’s efforts to offer multi-platform games that are set to revolutionize the sector in this way, according to The Verge.

5) Developer Preferences
When a major player such as Electronic Arts decides to launch a game purely on console, PC players have plenty to worry about. The reason for this increasingly popular move is that consoles now offer a more potent experience than the PC can. The merging of CPU and GPU into heterogeneous unified memory access has made consoles more efficient and potent.

Image credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mastermaq/11044274366/

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/21/4452488/amd-sparks-x86-transition-for-next-gen-game-consoles